Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[851]

George Burgess signed for Wigan. At least that's one bullet dodged.

He is exactly what we need. We should have went hard for him.

2014 called. It wants to know what you've been watching for the past five years.

He is better than anything we have right now in the forwards.

First, no he's not. He plays short minutes, has dreadful hands and is a disciplinary liability. He also makes far less impact than you seem to recall.

More to the point, he's going to be on pretty big money. This is *exactly* the sort of signing we need to avoid making: possibly a marginal upgrade (though quite possibly not) but at a cost that burns salary cap. We literally still have Russell Packer to remind us why this sort of signing would be a disaster yet you want to cheerily throw away another bunch of money.

Do you not think it's significant that all the smart clubs in the NRL were apparently happy to let him go to the UK? He wanted to stay in Australia yet he couldn't even get a bid out of perennial dum dums like the Tigers, Parra, Titans or Bulldogs. Surely that's telling you something?

That's why he left NRL. He couldn't command the money that SL offered after his dirty play this year.
That's the type we should try, on the outer and a bargain.

Let's just recruit nobody and keep plodding.

Honestly, I'm laughing at "bargain". Think about it, seriously. "He couldn't command the money" - what does that mean? It means "no-one was prepared to offer him the money".

You think the Storm and the Roosters didn't want George Burgess because he's currently suspended? Wrong. They didn't want him because his contract demands were unreasonable based on what they actually expect him to deliver on the field in 2020-22 (rather than what they remember him delivering in 2014, which is quite substantially different).

Anyway, the options are not (A) sign George Burgess and (B) sign no-one. If we have cap room we will presumably use it on someone. If we don't, we won't (but we wouldn't have been able to sign George Burgess anyway).

George Burgess's best days were literally half a decade ago. The idea of devoting significant cap space to a dick-fingered walking penalty is exactly, precisely what got the Tigers into the mess they are now.

I'm sorry for being harsh here, it's not what I usually set out to do. But seriously, you have to get your head around how smart teams run their cap. Yes, good teams always have an eye for a bargain and look to improve in any way they efficiently can.

But George Burgess is not a bargain. Yes, there was no-one in the NRL as pathologically stupid as Parra when they were prepared to offer him $2m for three years, and of course if he'd been available for next to nothing he would have been a smart pickup (and he'd have gone to the Roosters). But all reports are that he is not missing out in England. And he is categorically not a player you want to be devoting serious money to.

It's not often I suggest reading the Souths forum for a dose of sanity, but the mood there should tell you absolutely everything you need to know about George Burgess. Lots of "good luck big guy" and fond reminiscences about what he did in the 2014 side... and absolutely not a single person remotely disappointed to lose him. They're delighted to be thinking about what they can do with the money he frees up, in fact.

Burgess wigan deal is supposedly $500k a year, not a huge pay day

 

[balmain boy]

@851 dollars or pounds?

 

[851]

@851 dollars or pounds?

The story I heard on FOX the other day was in aussie dollars, they may have been wrong, but they are usually right on the ESL ones

 

[2041]

George Burgess signed for Wigan. At least that's one bullet dodged.

He is exactly what we need. We should have went hard for him.

2014 called. It wants to know what you've been watching for the past five years.

He is better than anything we have right now in the forwards.

First, no he's not. He plays short minutes, has dreadful hands and is a disciplinary liability. He also makes far less impact than you seem to recall.

More to the point, he's going to be on pretty big money. This is *exactly* the sort of signing we need to avoid making: possibly a marginal upgrade (though quite possibly not) but at a cost that burns salary cap. We literally still have Russell Packer to remind us why this sort of signing would be a disaster yet you want to cheerily throw away another bunch of money.

Do you not think it's significant that all the smart clubs in the NRL were apparently happy to let him go to the UK? He wanted to stay in Australia yet he couldn't even get a bid out of perennial dum dums like the Tigers, Parra, Titans or Bulldogs. Surely that's telling you something?

That's why he left NRL. He couldn't command the money that SL offered after his dirty play this year.
That's the type we should try, on the outer and a bargain.

Let's just recruit nobody and keep plodding.

Honestly, I'm laughing at "bargain". Think about it, seriously. "He couldn't command the money" - what does that mean? It means "no-one was prepared to offer him the money".

You think the Storm and the Roosters didn't want George Burgess because he's currently suspended? Wrong. They didn't want him because his contract demands were unreasonable based on what they actually expect him to deliver on the field in 2020-22 (rather than what they remember him delivering in 2014, which is quite substantially different).

Anyway, the options are not (A) sign George Burgess and (B) sign no-one. If we have cap room we will presumably use it on someone. If we don't, we won't (but we wouldn't have been able to sign George Burgess anyway).

George Burgess's best days were literally half a decade ago. The idea of devoting significant cap space to a dick-fingered walking penalty is exactly, precisely what got the Tigers into the mess they are now.

I'm sorry for being harsh here, it's not what I usually set out to do. But seriously, you have to get your head around how smart teams run their cap. Yes, good teams always have an eye for a bargain and look to improve in any way they efficiently can.

But George Burgess is not a bargain. Yes, there was no-one in the NRL as pathologically stupid as Parra when they were prepared to offer him $2m for three years, and of course if he'd been available for next to nothing he would have been a smart pickup (and he'd have gone to the Roosters). But all reports are that he is not missing out in England. And he is categorically not a player you want to be devoting serious money to.

It's not often I suggest reading the Souths forum for a dose of sanity, but the mood there should tell you absolutely everything you need to know about George Burgess. Lots of "good luck big guy" and fond reminiscences about what he did in the 2014 side... and absolutely not a single person remotely disappointed to lose him. They're delighted to be thinking about what they can do with the money he frees up, in fact.

Burgess wigan deal is supposedly $500k a year, not a huge pay day

It's plenty for what George Burgess brings to the table, though. You'd have to close your eyes and think of 2014 to justify that kind of outlay.

This year, Burgess is averaging 76m from 30ish minutes of game time. He has 175 tackles, 26 missed and zero offloads.

Last year was the only year he's averaged 100m a game (102m, to be exact) since 2015. His metre averages from 2013 on are: 149, 152, 138, 87, 93, 102, 76. In 2014 and 2015 he missed about one tackle in 30, now it's one in seven. He had 20 total offloads in 2014-15, and 10 total in 2016 to now.

He is not a guy you want to pay for the next three years of.

 

[supercoach]

Every player Pom and others have us linked to are now being linked to Parra or the Dogs in the media. There is nothing been said about us being in the frame for any notable signings
Okay the media are probably throwing darts but usually there is some smoke floating around before any signing

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Every player Pom and others have us linked to are now being linked to Parra or the Dogs in the media. There is nothing been said about us being in the frame for any notable signings
Okay the media are probably throwing darts but usually there is some smoke floating around before any signing

Not always. Quite often there isn't.

 

[TieDye]

@supercoach I see what you mean SC, hence us being the most down to earth & patients fans that money can buy! heheh

 

[momo_amp_medo]

@supercoach Prop a day signings are reported to be heading to the Eels ... believe what you will I suppose.

 

[Jock Koss]

@momo_amp_medo capewell isn’t exactly what we need Momo, but fair point, some try to do the right thing by fans in revealing info from inside the club. Others only exist to shoot it down. We need both mate, but does it seem like Welch is coming? Have heard he gave us a flat ‘no’

Conjecture to you, reliable and solid information to me... obviously any potential signings are conjecture... till it actually happens. Cheers and good on you for your opinion !

Maybe POM got sick of the whingeing when he inevitably isn’t able to get every insight correct for you?

 

[Jock Koss]

Sorry if it comes across harshly... maybe some on here need a reality check , we support the Wests Tigers and maybe will have to bite the bullet on a crap signing for the hope it leads to more flocking in... its good to see that the club isn’t being stagnant though. Am not sure the forum or anybody on it has any ability to influence those moves, complain though for sure

 

[supercoach]

I Wass not having a go at Pom or anyone else who has shared some info on this forum. I love reading Pom’s offerings and I am sure all his info is based off a very reliable source. The point I was making is, all the players mentioned have now been linked to other clubs in the media with no mention of us.

Like my Liverpool FC, I think we are in for a pretty quite recruitment window with plenty of action in 2020 for the 2021 season

 

[Jock Koss]

Wouldn’t blame @THE_POM for waiting until we can keep our mouths closed and let a signing get close enough to 48 hrs away... at that point he couldn’t possibly be any more or less correct than what the media already know, until players and managers and money has their say, subsequently it’s a large factor on where they end up settling. Seems it is rarely ever us and if we were able to sign simply one of the players ANYBODY has mentioned then we sit with a much higher reputation in the market most give us credit for. Imagine having people clamouring to you just to hear the latest rumour or possibly what an unlikely to be reputable source is said to have leaked from within walls of Concord.

I completely disagree that some are ‘more right’ than others or have better sources, that is the exact premise that we, as fans of his posts promise to uphold in not judging or even pretending to understand the full circumstances that go into completing an NRL contract and getting it over the finish line... as I said it is what it is for a tigers fans , I hardly see many getting excited even when we are ‘that close’ to making a game changing signing.

I will manage to contain my excitement until said signing has actually been on the field for us , that’s all I’m hoping for and cannot believe people say no to these signings on their situations at other clubs or whether the bloke is a likeable character. We have no speed like Dufty / Brimson and so, GIVEN their respective club situations I would HOPE that Michael maguire is most certainly doing the business in regards to that. Does POM work in recruitment?? Is his source even confirmed to be working anywhere in recruitment IN THE NRL? Sick of some of the glorification I want CONFIRMATION.

Also this ^ not at all directed at the man I’ve mentioned but rather his supporters that never seem to believe what he says, or do, conveniently up until there’s a last minute change that even he could not have been informed of... it makes little sense to say hey can you just give a snippet and hopefully we’ll all like it, but then make an a actual decision based on a whole lotta inuendo on whether A) it’s a good signing or B) whether we, collectively have a reply to the club or some feedback for POM on whatever it is he’s taken time out of his day to update us on. Keep doing your thing mate 🤞

 

[Curly_Tiger]

Pom has been good, at least gives us hope. Anyone remember Tiger Torch? He was another
Who would be the top 5 in terms of reliable mail?

 

[Jessica]

@supercoach don’t take it personally, the truth stings ATM like too much Deep Heat. Respect and brownie points to you for keeping it real, I don’t think anybody is saying anything negative in response to what you added, @DieHarder makes a good point that we should be trying to see positives or take our own truths out of whatever is posted, also to keep the faith until something eventually materialises x

 

[Geo]

Bring on Tim Mannah..

 

[Jessica]

All I can say if what I managed to eek out of my friend who works at another club is that ATM we are being *very* active in our enquires & have looked to recruit our biggest weaknesses

 

[Jock Koss]

@Geo @Jessica exactly😂😂😂 what a flog he turned out to be . Also thank you , that’s the way I feel more or less right now. Bring on Burgess and SKD!!

 

[Jock Koss]

@Curly_Tiger bloody hell , we could use TT savour now

 

[hammertime]

I think we've all got signing withdrawal symptoms after the clean roster than cleary inherited. They were coming thick and fast back then.

 

[2041]

I think we've all got signing withdrawal symptoms after the clean roster than cleary inherited. They were coming thick and fast back then.

Another comparison to drug addiction is that while the signings undoubtedly provided a pleasing rush at the time they all turned out to be extremely bad for us in the long run. The fact that we're now the NRL equivalent of haggard, toothless derroes begging for change for one more substandard fix is not a coincidence.

* I've just realised that the NRL equivalent of etc etc is actually the actual NRL Souths fans. Obviously the analogy doesn';t stretch quite that far.